World Series shifts to Miami
Marlins, Yankees enter Game 3 tied at 1-1

Published: October 20, 2003 8:00PM

MIAMI (AP) The upper deck is ringed with names such as Bob Griese, Larry Csonka and Don Shula. Theres a hot tub next to the right-field bullpen and palm trees outside the gates.

Sunglasses scattered in the clubhouse, bottles of Gatorade strewn in the dugout, players in shorts.

OK, so its not Yankee Stadium.

Clearly, the scene has shifted in this World Series, from baseballs most hallowed park to 2267 Dan Marino Boulevard, the address of Pro Player Stadium.

Not that the Florida Marlins mind at all, going into Game 3 Tuesday night tied at 1 with the New York Yankees. Josh Beckett was to start against New Yorks Mike Mussina.

I think our advantage in this park is that people think its ugly and think its not a baseball park, Marlins outfielder Jeff Conine said. But we call it home and we feel like weve got that advantage.

They always come in and say, Oh, the lights are bad and It looks like a football stadium. I think they just cant get up for playing in a place like this, as compared to a Yankee Stadium or a Camden Yards or a Fenway Park thats got all the history. So I think it definitely works in our advantage that it is kind of a dreary and glum place to play.

The Marlins were one of the majors best home teams this season. There are shades of October, too the last time the Series was here, the crowd was going crazy as Edgar Renteria hit a winning single in the bottom of the 11th inning to beat Cleveland in Game 7 in 1997.

Besides, the ballpark isnt that drab. Not with the overwhelming display of orange-and-teal seats, pulsating music and Cuban cuisine.

This is different, Yankees manager Joe Torre said. We come in here, see the palm trees. Its weird. It really is weird.

Another big difference that should be apparent: The sellout crowd of 65,000 is expected to be split.

We know everywhere we go, we have our share of fans. We certainly know that there are a lot of transplanted New Yorkers in South Florida, Torre said.

While the Yankees will have a lot of support, the Marlins will have Beckett.

The ace of the Florida staff, he saved the season in the NL championship series. He pitched a two-hit shutout in Game 5 against the Chicago Cubs and came back on two days rest with four brilliant relief innings in Game 7.

Now, fully rested, the 23-year-old young gun is ready to bring his 100 mph heat at least, thats what the amped-up radar gun readings show.

Beckett grew up in Texas admiring Roger Clemens, as did a lot of Little Leaguers in the state.

Yeah, I idolized him, Beckett said. When I was younger, I used to try to pitch like him and stuff. Definitely in the street when we were playing home run derby. I have an autographed ball by him, stuff like that.

Mussina is 0-3 in this postseason. His best outing came in Game 7 of the ALCS, when he relieved and pitched three scoreless innings against Boston.

Mussina is a Gold Glove fielder, and knows the Marlins might test him.

A large part of their game is their speed. We know they like to bunt, obviously.

The Marlins were successful doing that in the opener, but had no luck during Sunday nights 6-1 loss in Game 2. It was damp and in the 40s, quite a change from the temperatures in the mid-80s Monday at Miami.

The Yankees last visited Pro Player in 2001, losing two of three. Derek Jeter had trouble with the lights, and several New York players supposedly were drained after too much time at the beach.

On Monday, the Yankees were hard at work getting accustomed to the deeper dimensions down the line. Coach Lee Mazzilli spent considerable time hitting fungoes to left fielder Hideki Matsui, letting him gauge the caroms off the high wall.

A day earlier on the same field, the New England Patriots beat the Miami Dolphins 19-13 in overtime. Miami kicker Olindo Mare had two chances to win it, but he missed a pair of field-goal attempts that were set up on the infield dirt.

I know they dont like the dirt, but we dont really like the grass, Marlins third baseman Mike Lowell said. I have 22 pairs of spike marks going through the infield. So hopefully we win the World Series, they win the Super Bowl and everyone will be happy.